Friday, November 4, 2016

YA Review: Love Me Never by Sara Wolf

Summary (from Amazon):Previously published as Lovely Vicious, this fully revised and updated edition is full of romance, intrigue, and laugh-out-loud moments.Don't love your enemy. Declare war on him.Seventeen-year-old Isis Blake hasn't fallen in love in three years, nine weeks, and five days, and after what happened last time, she intends to keep it that way. Since then she's lost eighty-five pounds, gotten four streaks of purple in her hair, and moved to Buttcrack-of-Nowhere, Ohio, to help her mom escape a bad relationship.All the girls in her new school want one thing—Jack Hunter, the Ice Prince of East Summit High. Hot as an Armani ad, smart enough to get into Yale, and colder than the Arctic, Jack Hunter's never gone out with anyone. Sure, people have seen him downtown with beautiful women, but he's never given high school girls the time of day. Until Isis punches him in the face.Jack's met his match. Suddenly everything is a game.The goal: Make the other beg for mercy.The game board: East Summit High.The reward: Something neither of them expected.

Review:
Isis Blake fell in love with the wrong guy, who used her insecurities against her. She was told she was ugly and fat and that no one would ever love her. After Isis loses weight and moves, she finally feels she can start over. But then at a party she watches as Jack makes a girl cry and it reminds Isis of the time she let a boy do the same to her. So she punches him and spreads a rumor about him, because it's what he deserves. Jack is empty inside. He doesn't feel anything and is angry at the world and sick of girls declaring their love for him. And then Isis punches him in the face and declares a war. Pretty soon they're trying to one up each other but their battle of wills turns into something more. Can Isis put her past behind her and move forward and can Jack admit he has feelings, or is it too late for both of them?

Although this novel takes place in high school, the prose reads much older and the problems that the characters face throughout the novel make the book feel more mature. While there isn't any explicit sex scenes or violence, there are other darker themes throughout the novel that would make it a better read for older teens or even adults. I was pleasantly surprised by Love Me Never and I know I'll have to read the rest of the series (there are three total) to see where Isis and Jack end up. Isis is a great heroine. She's snarky and doesn't let anyone walk over her, but she also has insecurities that she's trying to work through. She's not perfect, which makes her relatable. Jack on the other hand is cold and harsh and at times very mean to Isis. He has a hard time feeling anything because of his past and the fact that Isis makes him feel things angers him, so he takes it out on her. I loved the relationship because it felt so real. It wasn't even close to perfect but it was raw and powerful, and something I won't be able to forget about anytime soon.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Love Me Never to anyone looking for a young adult novel with an enemies to lovers storyline. But if you aren't in the mood for a depressing or raw read, I would recommend staying away from this one.